DATE: August 22, 2007

CONTACT: Johnson Link, (864) 656-7389
jwl@clemson.edu

WRITER: Angela Nixon, (864) 656-0382
anixon@clemson.edu

EXPERT: Johnson Link

EXPERT: Bill Daniel

Clemson University to join Pickens County e-911 system

CLEMSON – Clemson University will join Pickens County’s enhanced 911 system Jan. 1, 2008. The system will enable Clemson University Police Department dispatchers to pinpoint the location from which calls from land lines and cell phones are made on campus.

“With this enhanced system, we will be able to streamline our response in emergency situations,” said Clemson University Police Chief Johnson Link.

The university’s previous 911 system showed dispatchers the number calling, but they had to manually look up the location of the caller. The enhanced system will enable dispatchers to see on a map exactly where calls are coming from. With the new system, dispatchers also will be able to track the location of cell phone calls through global-positioning system technology.

“This will make notification of emergencies more seamless, especially with the high numbers of visitors and students we have on campus,” said Clemson University Fire Chief Bill Daniel.

Joining the Pickens County system also means that if the university’s system is down, calls can be switched to Pickens County. And the reverse could happen if the Pickens County system is down.

“This brings the southern part of the county under the Pickens County e-911 umbrella,” said Lynn Fisher, assistant county administrator for Pickens County. “Clemson University will provide an additional backup for the other participants in the county, and it will make the university’s first response in emergencies much more timely and accurate. This is definitely a good thing for Clemson University and Pickens County.”

The Pickens County Sheriffs Office and the Easley Police Department are the two other Public Safety Answering Points in the county’s e-911 system.